Today's Liberal News

Colonization Fueled Ebola: Dr. Paul Farmer on “Fevers, Feuds & Diamonds” & Lessons from West Africa

We continue our conversation with medical anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer, whose new book, “Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds,” tells the story of his efforts to fight Ebola in 2014 and how the history of slavery, colonialism and violence in West Africa exacerbated the outbreak. “Care for Ebola is not rocket science,” says Dr. Farmer, who notes that doctors know how to treat sick patients.

Dr. Paul Farmer: Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation

As the United States sets records for COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, we speak with one of the world’s leading experts on infectious diseases, Dr. Paul Farmer, who says the devastating death toll in the U.S. reflects decades of underinvestment in public health and centuries of social inequality. “All the social pathologies of our nation come to the fore during epidemics,” says Dr.

Why Britain Failed, Again

When Britain first went into lockdown to arrest the spread of the coronavirus last year, one had to contend with a number of mitigating factors when assessing the government’s performance. Yes, the country had suffered the worst death toll in Europe, and the worst economic slump, but Boris Johnson had “followed the science,” delaying a lockdown on the advice of his government’s medical and scientific advisers.

Trump’s Erratic Election-Eve Rally

During an election-eve rally in Dalton, Georgia, Monday night, President Donald Trump offered a wide range of lies, conspiracy theories, and hogwash, but he also said one thing that was unimpeachably true.“I don’t do rallies for other people,” he said. “I do rallies for me.”Ostensibly, Trump was in Georgia to campaign for Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the two Republicans running to keep their seats in a runoff on Tuesday.

Monday Night Owls: The never-ending coup against Black America

Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

16 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Zak Cheney-Rice at The Intelligencer writes—The Never-ending Coup Against Black America. Historically, “recovery” tends to look a lot like betrayal.

The last time I visited my grandparents’ hometown, I was researching an article about lynching.

Google workers form union, not to bargain a contract but to press the company to stop being evil

The tech industry’s overwhelmingly non-unionized status took a small but significant hit on Monday, with the announcement of the Alphabet Workers Union, a minority union at Google (the parent company of which is Alphabet). Their goal—at least in the short term—isn’t to win a union representation election and get the company to the bargaining table. It’s to create a platform to pressure the company on a range of issues as a group rather than as individuals.

‘I have a Bronze Star’: Black real estate photographer targeted for appearing to have taken a photo

Video shows a Black U.S. Army veteran questioned by Virginia police when a white resident came to the racist conclusion that a Black man sitting in his car must be committing a crime. Marlon Crutchfield was instead working as a real estate photographer when the nosy neighbor’s complaint attracted the attention of three cop vehicles on Dec. 21, 2020, Crutchfield said in the video he shot of Arlington County Police officers questioning him.

Republican sabotage of Social Security has left tens of thousands of eligible recipients without pay

Last month, in a report that got kind of lost in the ongoing coup efforts of Donald Trump and his pet Republicans, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) inspector general (IG) office issued a scathing report on the agency’s performance during the pandemic. It’s not good. The inspector general is estimating that 27,724 eligible recipients have not received payments owed to them to the tune of $52.1 million.

Stacey Abrams says poor Republican response to COVID in Georgia could impact the special election

Stacey Abrams appeared on ABC’s This Week this Sunday morning to chat with Martha Raddatz about the Georgia senate runoffs, President-elect Joe Biden, and how truly serious it is to challenge elections—and why what she did after her governor’s race is so very different from what the Republicans cozying up behind Donald Trump is fruitlessly trying to do with the presidential election.

The Atlantic Daily: Mitch McConnell’s Slippery Grip on the GOP

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.LAMBERT / GETTYIn his latest attempt to undermine the results of the 2020 election, President Donald Trump turned to a familiar medium: the combative phone call. This time, it was with Georgia’s secretary of state.As ever, congressional Republicans now face a choice.

This Is the Cost of a Failed Impeachment

If your memory can reach back to the time before COVID-19—no shame if it can’t—you may recall the last big story before the pandemic struck: the impeachment of President Donald Trump.In December 2019, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, all stemming from a ploy in which he attempted to extort the Ukrainian government into assisting his reelection campaign.

Put On a Hat, Please

At last, the days are getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere, a change that feels particularly welcome now, given, well, everything. But winter is just getting started. In any other year, we’d be firmly in a season of cozy indoor gatherings. This year, however, requires that we avoid anything of the sort, especially as America’s coronavirus epidemic continues to worsen and a new and worrying mutation of the virus has emerged.

“Find 11,780 Votes”: Trump Pushes Georgia to Overturn Election in Move to Disenfranchise Millions

In an hour-long phone call, President Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state’s 2020 election. He made the call nearly two weeks before he is due to leave office and just two days before the runoff elections in Georgia that will determine control of the Senate.

“Victory for Julian”: U.K. Blocks WikiLeaks Founder Assange Extradition to U.S. on Espionage Charges

In a stunning decision, a British judge has blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, saying he would not be safe in a U.S. prison due to his deteriorated mental state. In 2019, Assange was indicted in the United States on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act related to the publication of classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The United States has already announced plans to appeal the ruling.